Hello all, and welcome to the first issue of the Conquer Club Newsletter!

We have put together a dedicated team of reporters who are ready and willing to report on virtually everything under the Conquer Club sun. This newsletter will not only inform the Conquer Club Community about the “goings on” of the site from fortnight to fortnight, but we have also incorporated some exciting bits and pieces.

We trust that these players will do a great job in their positions and that you as the community will come to enjoy reading their articles more and more as this newsletter evolves, we also hope that you enjoy this first issue as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

So here we are. I won’t drone on about this being the first official newsletter as you will no doubt have enough of that by now.

So what’s a slice of Fruitcake? Well, that depends on where you buy it I suppose. I had some truly delicious fruitcake recently and enjoyed it immensely with a nice cup of tea (natch). But what am I saying? You don’t want to read about my dietary intake, this article had better get sorted before I’m hauled up in front of the Head for a thorough thrashing.

The forums have been quite vibrant recently, and when I say vibrant, I am not saying the screen has been difficult to read because the words are blurred through movement, or my intake of the vintage stuff rising to new heights, more that they have been animated and quite energetic. GD has had some interesting threads, so let’s take a look.

Well that slightly odd speller, Stephen Wayne, ‘fessed’ up and told all, nothing like a bit of baring the soul to give one that warm and fuzzy feeling, apart from going 'premium' that is. JR (that old anti hero) and his ‘all time top scores’ thread just keeps on trucking, and creating some good old spats. Typical of this unofficial multi hunter, JR also keeps his ‘wall of shame’ updated and boy does it get some conkies in a lather. I see our latest Brig and old friend of yours truly, 'Bruceswar' jumped to the defence of DAT_WAT_SHE_SAID recently. Well Brucey old chap, all I can do is repeat the succinct words of Bones2484 when he said "It doesn't matter. This thread is CC's All Time Top Scores According to JR. Not CC's All Time Top Scores According to CC." And that would seem to have sealed that particular thorny issue.

Our present incumbent conqueror King Herpes is turning into one of the most talked about conquerors ever. Now love him or loathe him and it seems most fall in to one camp or the other, you just got to hand it to him, he knows how to be controversial. The thread celebrating his rise to the top was started nearly 2 months ago! I don’t think I have ever seen one of those interminable congrats threads last that long before, have you? First he was accused of generally being an all round bad egg, then a dastardly chap who fleeced the unsuspecting, then all manner of things. The latest wheeze he is accused of getting up to, is to have some kind of super duper whizz-bang script that runs his freestyle games for him (more on that later). Well as much as I might like to bellyache about this subject, in all honesty I have just one answer. Avoid playing those freestyle games with what is obviously a player at the top of his game! After all, if he is a Colonel masquerading as a Conqueror, who am I to judge seeing as I am a typical Major masquerading as a General!

The thread titled ‘Highest position player playing sequential turns’ opened up a good debate, this time the discussion has avoided descending into a bun fight, some may say unfortunately. The original question was vague enough yet decisive enough to manage this. We must now consider various top players it seems as game styles differ, but again, more of that later. One wonders if lack will review the way the scoreboard operates now. I am sure he has so many other important tasks to complete first.

There has been some debate recently about freestyle games and the speed of the reaction of some. Now I don’t play freestyle, mainly because my internet connection is akin to something out of the Ark compared to many and being the sort of chap who is able, on occasion, to put two and two together and not make five, I realise that this is a huge disadvantage. Well that and the fact that often I am to be found a tad more than half cut on too many glasses of the vintage stuff so would not be able to keep up anyway! So, back to this issue of freestyle, does it reflect a player’s talent for strategic thought? Are there players now on the site who have script driven operations that ensure they maximise the advantage? Only time will tell. For what it’s worth, and that ain’t a lot, I see any script development or otherwise as a natural development of the freestyle game. Maybe in the future this will distil to who can write the best program to run the game. Watching a freestyle game between two bots would make interesting viewing that’s for sure. Maybe a film could come out of it...oh wait, that's been done some years ago.

Lastly, you may recall that in my old Gen Congrats thread I would always search out any amusing or even controversial posting and bring it for your delectation. I have decided to continue that, so what were the recent posts worth repeating? Well in fact, that herpes has to get a mention for his post in the thread titled ‘how do I delete an account?’

King_Herpes wrote:

Sasha Grey wrote:Help please?

First deny that you'll ever come back with your current account(or your main account), make a multi(or another), and ask rhetorical questions about basic strategy and CC lingo with it. Then rinse and repeat.

Tut tut herpes, fancy encouraging that kind of behaviour.

Well that's all from Fc towers for this issue dear reader. But remember this...whilst the world implodes around us and the financial system crumbles, the world of cc just keeps motoring along, bringing elation and desperation in equal amounts, a bit like real life! See you in two weeks, or 14 days, or a fortnight even.

PS. The other day I was rolling some (dare I say the word here...oh alright I will) Dice. I rolled three 1s and shouted "Damn these Assault Intensity Cubes!" I received some very strange looks, in between the assembled company looking at each other a bit old fashioned....Since then 'She Who Must Be Obeyed' is asking me questions in a most peculiar way. Last night she said "Now dear, would you like a hot cup of slightly bitter, astringent, Camellia sinensis infused water, with the extract of sugar cane added?"....

Good Morning CC!Here you can find the most interesting fortnightly news about the Tournaments Forum.

Every two weeks a new poll runs in Tournament General Section for 10 days.Question: Do you think there will be a special medal for a Tournament winner?If you like to give us your opinion, you can find it here. (Every poll takes only the community opinion and isn’t a preview of CC’s future implementations)

Are you new to Conquer Club? Would you like to organize or join your first Tournament? Don’t be worried, you can find all the answers in the OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT HANDBOOK by Optimus Primehere.

How to Organize a Tournament

Organizing a Tournament requires some skill and a good knowledge of the Tournament Handbook.Here is the first part of How to organize a Tournament, here I will explain step by step how to organize and run your very own tournament.

Part1So you decided to organize your first Tournament?First thing to do is to know the minimum Tournament Requirements (here), then really think if you have the time to run a Tournament .The next step is to choose a theme and a format. For a first timer it is recommended to organize a small tournament, like 16 players.Now please follow these steps and your work will be easier:

Maps involved

Game settings

Premium membership is required? (if you choose that a player has to play more than 1 game at once you can’t risk to have in your list a freemium that can’t join more than 1 game)

Number of players

How many games you will play at once

How players advance to next round

number of Rounds

In the next Issue we will learn how to start a player's recruitment in the forum.

Tips & Tricks

A well organized tournament requires time and skill.Some organizers like to run Team Tournaments and a new feature can help them to have an “easier life”.Now it's possible to set the team order in games.To do this you have to create a PM with this format:

EDITOR'S NOTEIf you have some interesting ideas or suggestions about, please contact me with a PM.Thank you Thenobodies80

Hello, my fellow conquerors, and welcome to the Foundry section of the CC Newsletter!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Recently Quenched & Beta Maps

Foundry News

Recent News

Recent Announcements

Editor's Note

Recently Quenched & Beta Maps:Here's a list of the recently quenched maps and those marked as "Beta" (as of January 28th):

British Isles REVAMP - this revamp of one of CC's oldest and most beloved map was a yearlong project by gimil. It is currently taking a lot of heat by disappointed members who didn't feel a revamp was necessary. Click on the map's name to insert your opinion!

WWII Europe - qwert's combination of all his loved WWII maps of the European theater (WWII Western Front & WWII Eastern Front) and the addition of a Central Front has created this massive map 110-territory map!

Europe 1914 - yet another qwert quench has given us a map of Europe in 1914, right before the outbreak of WWI. With stellar graphics and a gameplay twist (capture and hold the capitals), another great map out of the qwert factory.

Holy Roman Empire 1648 - this map by three creators (pamoa, grayhawke, and unit_2) has given CC a beautiful map of the Roman Empire as it falls. It was quenched eight days before its 1-year anniversary of creation.

Rail Australia - speaking of map factories, cairnswk saw his 20th map quenched in the latest of his set of rail maps (Rail USA, Rail Australia, and Rail Europe). A beautiful piece of art, it offers a unique gameplay only a rail map can bring to CC.

War of the Triple Alliance - quite possibly the nicest-looking map to come out of the Foundry, oaktown's map based around the South American war in the mid-1860s is incredibly made, as the whole new batch of maps released are.

Oasis - this map by wcaclimbing is a graphic masterpiece, as much as it brings a new gameplay to CC. Your objective: hold the three center 'Grand Oasis' territories to win the game!

Forbidden Palace - yet another map from cairnswk outlines the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, China. However crowded and complicated it seems at first, it is a great map with stellar themed graphics.

Foundry News:Recent Ideas:

Foundry Competitions - at the Foundry we're currently having a discussion as to what to do with the map competitions. One of the biggest and most popular ideas in a subforum for Foundry Games and Competitions. Click on the 'Foundry Competitions' to insert your opinions and ideas!Ideas Subforum - thoughts are floating around through the Foundry that nothing is getting accomplished in the Ideas subforum. Discussion has been going on for almost two weeks now, and your opinions are wanted!

EDITOR'S NOTEIf you have some interesting ideas or suggestions about, please contact me with a PM.Happy Conquering!.44

Intro to Clans and CC

Clans themselves predate the Conquer Club site and were discussed very early on in the forums. Clans are groups of players coming together to challenge other groups of players. The words Clans and Usergroup are often both used to describe groups of players, however, usergroups are considered social chat groups only these days. In the beginning (2006), the site did see a number of clans both created, attempt to start and closed down. Of all of the current clans, the oldest standing clan on the site is The Imperial Dragoons which was created May 14th, 2006 and is the featured clan this episode. Clans come in all sizes and forms and generally fall into 1 of the following 3 classes: Small Elite, Large Versatile, and Beginner/Start-up Clan.

Featured Clan: The Imperial Dragoons

The Imperial Dragoons are a large versatile clan whose membership is primarily made up of players Lieutenant or higher. While many clans are always open to recruiting new members, it wasn't until recently that the Dragoons went looking for some new members to add to their already strong clan. The Imperial Dragoon's membership is also very active on the site in other aspects as well. Fireside Poet (Multi-Hunter) and hwhrhett participate in the Clan Leaders Association helping to make clans more relevant and fun on CC. James Vazquez (Chat Moderator), killmanic (Chat Moderator, and Tournament Organizer), and White Moose (Tournament Organizer) also contribute to the site on a regular basis. Joining the CC News team is also jnd94 who will be the "Sugs & Bugs" Reporter.

You can recognize players in clans by looking at their profile or often by their avatar or signature. The Imperial Dragoons have some very nice signatures and are mostly created by Fireside Poet.

Here is what the Dragoons would like you to know about them:

Imperial Dragoons wrote:One of Conquer Club's oldest and competitive clans have returned to the glory days of old. Initially founded by Marvaddin in early 2006, the clan survived the test of time with our current leader Fireside Poet at the helm. The Imperial Dragoons clan is full of activity: hosting clan challenges, clan tournaments and a plethora of in-clan games as well as the casual conversation on our forum.

Every single Dragoon is fashioned of the finest iron and the play quality and our demeanor reflects this. The entry requirements are not impossible at all, but the focus is on game diversity, experience, forum activity, but most of all agreeable behavior. When lacking the latter, don't cherish hopes of joining this fine clan. Further criteria are a 1600 points minimum, premium membership and respectable ratings coupled with Dragoon acceptance voting.

If you are turned down or are with a rival clan, you can still enjoy playing with the Dragoons, due to the revival of the old time favourite: Dragoons Open Games, where anyone with a respectable rank can play against a variety of Dragoons. The Dragoons take pride in their well crafted signatures, made by our fearless leader and are known for each member having a customized and intricate forum banner. We boast experienced, well seasoned players in a relaxed atmosphere. Just take a look at our member list and sign up for a game...and be prepared to broaden your Conquer Club experience.

If you are in a clan you think should be featured in a future episode or have suggestions or future possible topics, please pm jpcloet.

I'm Jnd94 and I'll be your pilot for today's flight. As Suggs and Bugs Reporter, my job is to relay some of the good suggestions to Lack and Twill. There a few major issues that have been addressed and re-addressed at nauseum (Farming, the ratings system, intensity cubes).

Farming: Many steps have already been taken to stop Farming. There are some good ideas simmering up in the Suggs and Bugs forum, some actually worth considering.

The Rating System: Although not very new, the rating system still has some big critics. Hopefully we can get the big points addressed and work out a solution for them. If you have any bright ideas, please check out some of the links under this.

The greatest conspiracy theory since who killed JFK, the intensity cubes entertain all with sob stories and miracle attacks. Inevitably more and more intensity cube threads will pop up. It is impossible to stop them just like it is impossible to stop the lottery......i think the lottery is random, right?

I don't have much to say about the intensity cubes. the intensity cubes ARE random. About as much testing as possible has been done. My suggestion? Deal with it! If you are in a slump, don't put yourself in high-risk situations, depending on good intensity cubes. Take it easy, don't join too many speed games, find a girl, settle down, y'know

Stay Tuned for the next issue of the Conquer Club Newsletter for an interview with Tournament Director and Global Moderator, Night Strike. You can submit your questions here --> Night Strike Interview

Next Issue we have a new section called "Community Opinion", you can voice your opinion about the randomness of the new Intensity Cubes here --> Community Opinion

Coming Soon: Community Competitions

Submitting Your Own Articles

If you have a story you think the Conquer Club Community would find interesting, you can submit your articles to samuelc812. If the CC News Team enjoy it than you may just see your article published in the Newsletter!

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